THE FAT YOGINI
  • Home
  • Diary of a Fat Yogini
  • Manifesto
  • About Me

Following your dreams should never EVER require giving up on who you are.

1/16/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
When this image first started going around the social media circles, a friend shared it with me. And I'll admit that my first reaction was...

"OOOOH! Unicorn!!!"  

...because, as anyone who knows me will attest, I really have always had a deep fondness for these single-horned mythological treasures.

But my next thought was... wait... what is the message here, really?

When you really look at this picture, you might think - ooh, inspiring. This rhino refuses to give up no matter what because he is determined to be a Unicorn.

And then, if you really take a step back, you can see that there is something deeply, deeply problematic with this image and what is wrong with IT is what is, at its core, what is wrong with the diet and weight-loss culture. When looked at with a critical eye, this image beautifully illustrates exactly why we should take a step back from all the messaging we get about how we should all be trying to be thinner.

That adorable animal on the treadmill is a rhino, and a darn cute rhino at that. And yet, somehow he hopes that if he works hard enough, he'll become a unicorn. A unicorn. 

Think about that for a moment.

Not only is he trying to become something else entirely - which we all know can never be possible, no matter how hard he works, but in this example - the creature he's trying to become doesn't even actually exist.

Wow.

If that isn't an excellent summary of the diet and weight-loss trap that so many of us end up in, I don't know what is. 

There is nothing heartwarming about this image. Actually, everything about it is heartbreaking.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we try so hard to be something we aren't?

The answer, for so many of us, is because we think our happiness lies on the other side of that dream. We think that if we could only be or have whatever it is we think we're supposed to be or have, then everything would just get easier.

But the reality is, the hardest and best journey you can take, is the one to accepting and loving yourself as you are.

Where that gets confusing for people is we think that if we accept ourselves, somehow we're giving up on the idea that we could ever change or grow or be healthier or whatever it is we'd like to be more of. But is that really true?

I can tell you, from experience.... 

Choosing to accept yourself doesn't mean you can't improve your health or well-being!
Tweet: Choosing to accept yourself doesn't mean you can't improve your health or well-being. #LiveLifeNow #SelfAcceptanceRocks
I think, the opposite is true - that accepting yourself makes it even more possible to improve your health and well-being.

I haven't stepped on a scale in years. I couldn't tell you how much I weigh right now. But I do know that, through practicing and teaching Yoga, I am stronger, healthier, more fit. I can take deeper breaths. I have more stamina. I sleep better. I feel that I have more vitality. My posture is better. My focus and balance are better. And none of those "results" have required that I give up on who I am. 

So, what's the answer, when you're looking for an image to motivate you to go after what you want and still accept who you are?

How about this one:
Picture
Photo Credit: Kyle Lanzer
Following your dreams should never, ever require giving up on who you are.
Tweet:
0 Comments
    Picture
    Image Credit: Michele Mateus Photography

    Archives

    June 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    October 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Anatomy
    Body Acceptance
    Body Positivity
    Body-positivity
    Body Positivity Yoga Studio
    Business
    Challenges
    Comparing
    Dreams Come True
    Fat Activism
    Fear
    Gender-neutral
    Gratitude
    Haes
    Indd
    Inner Wisdom
    Insecurity
    Inspiration
    Intention
    Intuition
    Journey
    Learning
    My Story
    Patience
    Pose Variations
    Queer Friendly
    Queer-friendly
    Self-acceptance
    Self Care
    Self-Care
    Sisterhood
    Stereotypes
    Students
    Studies
    Teachers
    Thoughts
    Trust
    Trusting Yourself
    Video
    Vulnerability
    Wonder
    Yoga Bytes

    RSS Feed

    Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Images of Lisa Papez, The Fat Yogini provided by Michele Mateus Photography (from the Body Love Now photo project - 2016)
Body Positivity Yoga™ and The Fat Yogini™ were created in 2011 by Lisa Papez. 
Teaching Yoga for All Bodies™ was created in 2014 by Lisa Papez
Teaching Outside The Mat™ was created in 2016 by Lisa Papez
The Self-Worth Path
™ was created in 2016 by Lisa Papez
Copyright © 2011-2020,  All Rights Reserved.
Picture
Google+
  • Home
  • Diary of a Fat Yogini
  • Manifesto
  • About Me